The Charge

Opening Statement

Based on the novel by Charles Portis is the film version of True Grit.
Directed by Henry Hathaway, the film's reputation rests on John Wayne's Oscar
winning performance.

The story is about a young girl, Mattie Hayes (Kim Darby), whose father is
murdered by a ranch hand. She goes to town in search of a man with true grit who
will help her find the man who murdered her father. Who she finds is US Marshall
Rooster Cogburn (Wayne), the meanest Marshall around with 24 kills to his name
in the four years he has been with the government. Along the way she also finds
a Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell), who is on the trail of the same man. After much
bickering, the unlikely trio ride in search of the killer. The ride is not a
grouping made in heaven. The Ranger has too much ego, Hayes is too headstrong
and Cogburn drinks too much. Naturally by film's end everyone has the respect of
the other. Seems the murderer has hooked up with a gang lead by Ned Pepper
(Robert Duvall). Cogburn has a history with Pepper, so the hunt takes on a
personal tone. Mattie finds the killer and gets her wish of shooting him dead
but not without paying a price of her own. Cogburn gets his man as well, not to
mention a hefty reward. While "the Duke" does not ride off into the
sunset, he does get one of the great final images of the American western.

The Evidence

First off, one of the main things that struck me is how long this film really
takes to get started. I noticed the movie was at the forty-five minute mark
before the trio rode off in search of Pepper and his gang. Also, one glaring
defect of the film is that Glen Campbell is a truly awful actor. Everything
sounds forced and rehearsed; there is not a drop of sincerity anywhere in his
performance. So needless to say the time the film takes to get going is dragged
out even further whenever Campbell is onscreen. That being said there is some
good work from other members of the cast. Kim Darby is quite effective as Mattie
Hayes. She has strength and determination but also a great sense of youthful
naïveté. Robert Duvall is very good as the gang leader in an early
performance. Also in support are Dennis Hopper and Strother Martin.

True Grit belongs however, to John Wayne. The movie rests squarely on
his large shoulders. He knows what he is doing in this kind of movie and he
carries it off with all the character of "the Duke." Sitting there
watching the movie I kept asking myself, is this an Oscar performance? Nope, I
don't think so. The Searchers, The
Man who Shot Liberty Valence and The Quiet
Man, those were Oscar caliber performances. This was one of those "body
of work" trophies the Academy likes to give out to make everyone feel
better about themselves. This is not to say that Wayne is not good. He is. He
was just much better in several other films.

But ultimately the film is torpedoed by Campbell's incompetence. When his
character dies saving the life of Mattie, it should be an important moment when
you feel something for his sacrifice. All I felt was relief that I would not
have to hear him again.

This disc is part of Paramount's finally dipping into its vaults and
releasing older catalogue titles. The film is given a brand new anamorphic
transfer and for the most part, it looks quite good. Colors seem to be a bit
faded, especially in the beginning of the movie but that goes away once everyone
hits the trail. Also in the first third of the film I noticed more than a little
dirt on the print and a fair share of nicks and scratches, but this as well went
away as the movie hit its second act. Still it looks quite good for a film that
is 31 years old. All of the western scenery is rendered quite well. Detail is
very impressive with a great deal of depth. Considering the age of the source
material, not a bad job.

When I watched El Dorado earlier in
the week, one of my main problems with that disc was the thinness of the mono
soundtrack. True Grit is also mono, but I found it a much richer
listening experience. Dialogue is easy to understand and I could detect very
little hiss.

As with El Dorado, the only special feature included with True
Grit is the original theatrical trailer. I suppose I was a little more
forgiving with El Dorado simply because I was so happy to see it looking
so fine. With True Grit that honeymoon is over.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

With the above problems on the table I think it is time Paramount started
coming up with more extra material for the DVD crowd. Look at what Fox (!) did
with their release of Patton: A two-disc
set with a wonderful documentary on the film's director and an isolated music
track for Jerry Goldsmith. I mean, a person cannot watch True Grit and
not get swept away by Elmer Bernstein's rousing score. He deserves the same red
carpet treatment as Goldsmith. If a studio as stingy as Fox can do something
that special, well, why can't Paramount?

Great sound and picture are great and one of the most important aspects of a
release. Special features however are the icing on the cake. It is a big reason
a lot of us made the jump to DVD to begin with. Come on Paramount. It's
time.

Closing Statement

True Grit is a Western in the classic mold. True Grit was, in
many ways, the closing of a door to a certain style of filmmaking. True
Grit is worth seeing for a look back. Just be aware of its shortcomings. If
you are a fan of the genre or a fan of John Wayne you are celebrating this
release. If you are that fan, buy this disc with confidence. Paramount has
treated the film well. As for the fan of the movie, well as I stated earlier,
Paramount could have done much more.

Of the two films, El Dorado and this
one, well El Dorado is the one worth keeping. True Grit does not
hold up nearly as well. This is one for the weekend rental.

The Verdict

John Wayne is released to ride off into the sunset. Paramount is to remain in
leg irons until they put more work into material for the consumers. That is it.
Case dismissed.